Women's club lacrosse wins playoffs, denied nationals

May 23, 2014 | 11 a.m.

Lost paperwork denies lacrosse team chance to go to national competition

Sports | Michael Urch

The women's club lacrosse team, pictured here after a snowy game against Hamline, is comprised of women with a variety of experience in the sport, some having played since childhood and others joining for the first time in college. | Photo for The Clarion courtesy of Sarah Scholl

Although lacrosse isn’t a varsity sport, Bethel’s women’s team has been around for 16 years. The team is coached by volunteers, rises at 6 a.m. twice a week for practices and has had a great season.

After winning the league championship, the team received news that it would not be invited to nationals because of missing paperwork.

“There was paperwork due in December, and we handed it in,” junior captain Jenna Barkey said. “We were not told that they did not receive it.”

“We did all we could. It’s just a bummer,” Scholl added. “The bylaws say that if we qualify for playoffs, then we should qualify for nationals.”

“We don’t know if they lost it or if the mail lost it, but we know that we sent it,” Barkey said.

Despite their season’s untimely end, the two captains said they were happy about their successes during the season and enthusiastic about the direction of lacrosse at Bethel. One of the most memorable games was against Hamline on April 3. It began to snow lightly at the beginning of the game, and by the end, there were a few inches of snow on the ground.

“You would throw the ball and a snowball would come out with it,” Barkey said.

Away from the field, the team also has had a number of bonding experiences. They had a fondue party in The Loft and went on a trip to the coach’s cabin.

“It’s hard to get up at 6 a.m., but it’s worth it," Barkey said. "Being with the girls and being part of a team is so fun,”

The coaches are team alums, and they voluntarily come to 6 a.m. practices even though they have to go to work afterward.

The lacrosse team is composed of girls with varying experience levels. Barkey has played since fifth grade, but there are some seniors on the team who only started playing this year. Both captains emphasized that they are excited to have anyone join the team regardless of experience level.

“It’s a sport that is easy to pick up, and everybody is willing to help out,” Barkey said. “We did really well this year and hope to continue next year.”

History of Lacrosse

A traditional Native American sport in the Great Lakes region, lacrosse began with sticks made from ash or willow with circular, dream catcher-like webbing to hold a round wooden ball. Sadly, the Native American Lacrosse culture has been lost—a casualty among many losses of Native Americans.

In recent years, the modern version of lacrosse has become popular in Minnesota. In 1993, Mark Hellenack, formerly of the Lacrosse Foundation NJ Chapter, started promoting box lacrosse in Minnesota. Box lacrosse is a version of lacrosse that is played in turf-covered hockey arenas. Field lacrosse followed shortly after. Both forms of lacrosse attracted offseason hockey players. Lacrosse continues to grow in popularity.